Hay-fork.



J. HEUSSER.

HAY FORK.

APPLIOATION-IILED APR. 13, 1914 Patented July 14, 1914.

O1. PHOTO-LITHOV. WASHINGTON. D. C.

JULIUS I-IEUSSER, OF MONROE, WISCONSIN.

HAY-FORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1914;.

Application filed April 13, 1914.. Serial No. 831,548.

To all whom itma e concern Be it known that I, JULIUs Heussnn, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Monroe, county of Green, State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in HayForks, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improve- .ients in hay forks and has for its particular object to provide means by which two harpoon forks may be supported from a common cross piece or head and maintained in proper working relation to said head without requiring the use of special supplemental. connecting means.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a hay fork constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of one of the supporting hooks, showing a fork engaged therewith; Fig. 3 is a detail view of one end of the cross piece or head and one of the supporting hooks; Fig. 4; illustrates a slightly modified form of the invention.

.teferring to the drawings, it Will be seen that the device comprises a head piece or cross bar 1 which in the form of the invcntion shown in Fig. 1 is provided at its ends with slots in each of which is secured, as by a pin 2, a hook adapted to receive the arched top or head 3 of a harpoon fork. The latter may be of any ordinary construction and the pivotally mounted dogs 4 thereof are adapted to be actuated by a rope 5 in the ordinary manner. As shown each of the supporting hooks at the ends of the head piece 1 is of such form that the fork carried thereby is adapted to occupy a Vertical position or to swing in a direction which will separate the lower pointed ends of the two forks but is positively prevented from a swinging movement in the opposite direction. As shown in the drawings and particularly in Figs. 2 and 3, each of said hooks has its main member 6 extending substantially vertical to the cross piece or head 1 and the inner face of its other member 7 inclined so that said members 6, 7 are separated to a greater extent at the mouth or open end of the hook than they are at the closed end. By this construction the arched member 8 of the harpoon fork, will, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, normally bear against the vertical face of the member 6 and the lower end of such fork will be positively prevented from movement toward the other fork. A considerable lateral swinging movement of the fork in the opposite direction, (that is, in a direction which tends to separate the pointed ends of the two forks) is permitted, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. Each supporting hook is preferably provided with an enlarged head 8 which projects over the sides of the slot formed in the cross piece 1 and in which the hook is supported by bolts 2, as described.

Instead of having the hooks detachably connected with the head pieceand depend ing therefrom, as shown in Fig. 1, they may be formed integral with the head piece or bar 9, as shown in Fig. 4. In this embodiment of the invention it will be seen that the substantial vertical member 10 of the hook is adapted to be engaged by a swinging bail or link 11 which is pivotally c011- nected with the head and can be readily turned into the position indicated in dotted lines so that the fork may be removed.

It will be noticed that in both of the embodiments of the invention illustrated the forks are supported directly from the head and engage therewith by means positively limiting swinging movement in one direction while permitting a relatively free swinging movement in the opposite direction. Heretofore it has been necessary to provide some supplemental means for maintaining the forks in the normal parallel position and preventing relative movement thereof which would carry the pointed ends of either toward the other.

Having described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent is,

1. In a hay fork, the combination of a head piece or bar provided at its ends with hooks, and a fork suspended from each hook, and adapted to contact with one of the members of the hook so that movement of the one fork toward the other is positively prevented.

2. In a hay fork, the combination of a head piece or bar provided at its ends with hooks, and a fork suspended from each hook, the members of each hook being separated to a greater extent at the open end than at the opposite, closed, end, and one of said members acting as a positive stop to movement of the engaged fork in a direction toward the other fork.

3. In a hayufork, the vcombination of a with the substantially vertical, member of head piece or bar provided at its ends with ,its supporting hook. 1 hooks, and a fork suspended from each hook, In testimony whereof I afiix my signature the latter each having one member eXtendin presence of two Witnesses.

5 ing substantially at right angles to the cross 7 JULIUS HEUSSER.

head, the hooks and head piece being so re- Witnesses: I lated that movement of either fork toward J OI-INYD. DUNWIDDIE, the other is prevented by contact of the fork I NETTIE M. HoGANs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

, Washington, D. C. r I 

